


Domestication

by JustaBluebird



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Breeding, Dehumanization, Gen, ghouls being treated like dogs, scientific study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-05 13:34:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15864660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustaBluebird/pseuds/JustaBluebird
Summary: The CCG Domesticated Ghoul Project was one of their oldest and most promising projects. After loosing all the project's ghouls in a raid, the CCG put out a notice to all investigators to keep an eye out for any ghoul that fit the project's profile to bring back in. Eyepatch just happens to fit that profile.





	1. Chapter 1

The Domesticated Ghoul Project was just one of many scientific projects the CCG worked on, though one of the oldest. The basic idea was simple, animals can be bred to be domesticated by selecting for certain traits. If ghouls were bred using the same constraints, then the result should be a tame, social ghoul, who could then be potentially trained to help investigators hunting wild ghouls, the same way a police dog is trained. 

The project started small, a scientist would approach each cage in Cochlea, and if the ghoul inside showed any hostile tendencies, lunging at the bars, growling, trying to use their kagune, then they would be marked down as worthless for the project. If they instead coward, cried, shivered, tried to get away, then they would be added to the breeding pool. Other than general pack friendliness, they were hoping to breed in an instinct that humans were part of that pack, and therefore were unacceptable as a food source. All of the ghouls in the project were fed prepared meals and were never given the chance to to learn to hunt.

The results were quite promising, with each generation less hostile and more calm in human presence. The last recorded generation were noted to tentatively look forward to human presence and were quite watchful and curious. Not the enthusiastic greetings and tight emotional bonds they were hoping for yet, but they were very close. One or two more generations, several of the scientists declared, and they would be ready for the field. 

And then a large group of ghouls attacked Cochlea, and actually managed to breech it. What they were trying to do was unclear, but then result was most of their breeding ghouls were killed in the cross fire, and the few that remained disappeared into the night. They would probably starve, if the other ghouls don't just kill them. A complete loss. 

A new rule was instituted for investigators, that if they encountered an unusually friendly ghoul while on patrol they were to bring them in alive. Hopefully they would managed to gain back at least one of their investments. 

\------------------------------

Amon wasn’t expecting to encounter a code DG-Social while out on patrol. He had heard stories about the domestication project, the breakout when he himself was still a kid, and generally he didn’t really believe domestication possible. He wondered, but always came back to the thought that if they were truly friendly ghouls that didn’t eat humans, they would starve on their own. So to see this young ghoul at the riverbank, Eyepatch he named it inside his head, trying to talk to him, refusing to fight? Unexpected. 

“I don’t.” Eyepatch clenched his arm around his chest a grimace on his face and tear prickling his eyes. “I don’t want to be a killer. Y-you can’t make me.” He hadn’t pulled his kagune out yet. 

Amon lifted his quinque slightly and Eyepatch flinched, before shifting closer. “Your implying that you have never killed before.”

“N-no! Never.”

“How do you eat?”

The ghoul shifted on his feet, frowning. “Uh-um. Sometimes people.” He hesitated and continued in a whisper. “Kill themselves. And I look for the places they do it. I don’t hurt people”

“You had to have eaten as a baby. Someone had to have taught you to do that. Where’s your mother?”

The ghoul grimaced. “My mother is dead. But, but you didn’t answer my question. Do you think, ghouls and humans, they can be friends?”

Amon considered the ghoul in front of him, sighed, and then firmed up his shoulders, determined. “Maybe.” He replied. “You’ll have to come with me for a bit, to see.”

\------------------------------

Amon wasn’t able to capture Eyepatch that day, the ghoul ended up breaking his quinque and then running. The actual capture came two weeks later. A squad of five investigators, including him, tracked and surrounded Eyepatch, capturing him by surprise. The whole event was very quick and without injury to either the investigators or the ghoul. 

It was bitter though, while he was initially assessing Eyepatch, his own partner was being murdered by another ghoul. If he hadn’t been delayed then - there is no point thinking about it. Mado is dead. And he received a medal for identifying and bringing in a DG-Social ghoul. He received a medal for failing to save his partner. 

The CCG scientists are absolutely delighted with Eyepatch.

“He is better than we could have ever hoped.” said one scientist when Amon came to check in on how Eyepatch was doing. “His mother must have bred with another stock quality ghoul in order for him to have turned out like this.” The scientist tapped his pen on his clipboard. “He hasn’t shown his kagune yet, you said he is a rinkaku?”

“Yes.” confirmed Amon.

“Mmm, we will have to get him x-rayed in order to take a good look at it.” He scribbled something down. “He has been quite chatty, he asked about you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, wanted to know if you would visit. We have been giving him puzzles and socialization tests and he keeps passing. Did you know he can read?”

“It can read?” Amon echos in disbelief.

“Yes! Dr. Ambly gave him a book and he just started reading it. We thought he might just be looking at the pictures, but we quizzed him and says he loves reading. He is actually reading a novel now!” The scientist smiled and pushed up his glasses. “It brings up a lot of interesting questions. Is there a link between ghoul domestication genes and intelligence?” 

Amon shifted. “But it’s still a ghoul.”

“Of course, of course, I’m not suggesting that it is sapient or anything. Just very smart for a ghoul. We believe that we can move onto the next stage of the project with him.”

“Which would be?”

“Training, and bonding to an investigator as a handler. There are many ideas of what he could be trained in, but the most interesting right now is scent tracking and attack ghoul.” He paused. “Attacking other ghouls of course, like an attack dog. Would you be interested as a potential handler?”

Amon’s eyebrows furrowed. Eyepatch seemed so gentle, he couldn’t see him attacking anyone, even another ghoul. “I thought you wanted to breed him?”

“Oh we will do that too. Have to do a few physical exams and fertility studies, but he seems to be sexually mature. The end goal of this project has always been field deployment, so it's exciting to finally be at that step!” The scientist smiled. “So, are you interested?”

“I wanted to see how it was doing.”

“Ah, well, he is over here.” The scientist lead Amon to the room outside of the one Eyepatch was being kept in.he saw though the one way mirror it was a clean, white room. The way in had doubled doors, first one steel and sound proof, then a small hallway going along the side of the cell separated only with thick bars. The second door, into the cage, was at the end of the hallway. This way people could interact with the ghoul without having to actually get inside the cage. Inside, the ghoul had a mattress on the floor with a few soft blankets, a floor table with rounded corners that was bolted to the ground, and a few IQ puzzles and books scattered around. Amon could see a door to another room, probably a bathroom monitored by hidden cameras, but it gave a feeling of privacy. A huge step above what most ghouls in Cochlea get. It was practically homely. 

There, sitting at the table was Eyepatch. He looked smaller in his CCG issued sweatpants and oversized t-shirt. He seemed calm, curious, and like promised, was flipping through a book. The title read ‘White Fang’. 

There was so much he wanted to ask this ghoul. He wanted to understand if it was different, or of other ghouls could act like this. He wanted to know how domesticated it could be, what it thought about that book.

“I am interested." Amon said. "In being it’s handler.”

\------------------------------

Eight months later Amon stepped out of his new specialized CCG vehicle. The SUV with tinted windows declared ‘CCG DG Unit’ in bold letters across the side. Amon clicked the car's key fob in his pocket and the back door to the car swung open. There, perched at the doorway and waiting for a verbal cue, was Eyepatch. He had been kitted out with thick sun blocking goggles, a black vest with ‘CCG DG Eyepatch’ embroidered on on both the back and sleeves, and a thick wire muzzle that gave him enough room to work his jaw and talk normally. It was strange seeing the ghoul in basically a reverse of his traditional mask, but it was practical, and helped give off the idea that it was part of the CCG and not a wild ghoul. 

Amon clicked at him and he stumbled out of the car and trotted over to Amon’s side. A big portion of the ghoul’s training had been in scenting and tracking. Identifying the scent of a ghoul at a crime scene and then leading investigators to where it went. He could even give identify gender, age, and type of kagune, though it was still very uncertain when judging the last one. Overall, incredibly useful, and the reason they have been in high demand as backup for other investigators when they come across particularly brutal or overindulgent kills.

Eyepatch shifted uncertainty next to him. Why did he agree to be it’s handler again? 

“Are you ok?” The ghoul asked.

“Hmm?” He focused on the ghoul again.

“It’s just that, umm, you seemed distracted, and you looked like, uh I just wanted to make sure.” Eyepatch shuffled his foot, looking at the ground. “You were ok.”

This was why, Amon reminded himself, this kind and fascinating ghoul that was such an outlier for its species. “I'm fine, let’s get to work. The investigators at the scene say there is five bodies, mutilated and left behind. Give us rough idea of what ghouls have been there, and when, and then we will start tracking.” Amon considered Eyepatch for a moment. “Do a good job and we will get coffee after.” Amon nodded and turned, starting to walk towards the crime scene.

“R-right.” Eyepatch replied and followed. 

It seemed that ghouls and humans could be friends after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Walsh was ecstatic. Really, he could have not wished for a better result than Eyepatch. He had thought for years that the Domesticated Ghoul Project was completely ruined, that he would have to transfer over full time to the newer Sunlight Garden project. Trying to breed ghouls with humans in order to train human dominate mixed-breeds? The fact they were even compatible was a huge shock at first, but not really what he was going for with the DG project. After all, he didn’t want sapient ghouls, just domesticated ones. 

But Eyepatch was perfect. 

His genetic makeup returned that he was a direct child of Rise, an unusually powerful ghoul of the Washuu bloodline they were breeding in the DG project. She had been marked down as worthless for the project due to her unusual back shift to aggressive tendencies and large human prey drive. Eyepatch would have also been worthless, regardless of the fact he had inherited her powerful kagune and healing factor, if it was not for the second half of his genetic makeup.

Eyepatch was half human. 

Rise managed to do in the wild what the Sunlight Garden was still struggling with, not that he would ever tell them. Eyepatch was from his breeding project, not theirs. But even with half human DNA, Eyepatch could have still turned out wrong. Humans can be very violent and cruel after all, and it would be very likely that Rise would be attracted to some sort of psychopathic human. The odds rolled in his favor again however. Whoever Rise bred with must have been a lanky, brainy, passive human. And on top of that, she must have abandoned the pup when he was still too young to learn her bad habits. (The ghoul seems to think his mother is dead, but with her healing abilities that's pretty unlikely.) Both nature and nurture on their side! That’s the only way Eyepatch could have turned out the way he did!

Of course, being too genetically close to Rise is a problem. While Eyepatch is quite passive now, he didn’t want the ghoul pressed to the point he might show some of his hidden, more Rise like tendencies. He would have to make sure to breed the ghoul with the most passive and friendly ghouls he could find to try and remove any lingering of Rise’s behavior from the blood line. That would also lessen the amount of human in the gene pool too, making the pups more pure and ideal. 

He couldn’t wait to get started!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I wasn't planning on writing more for this, but then I got a bit inspired. So here is a short clip talking about genetics. : )

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like it. I would love to hear what you guys think.


End file.
